Page:Life and adventures of Sir William Wallace, General and Governor of Scotland (2).pdf/6

6 THE HISTORY OF of him in England, to bring ſuch forces as they could make; to aſſiſt him in the French war; but withal taking truce with the French for ſome months, he ſuddenly turned his forces deſtined against France, towards Scotland. His navy was vanquiſhed at Berwick, and 18 of his ſhips taken. Yet his land hoſt, by the means of the Brucian faction, and the Engliſhed-Scots noblemen, took the town of Berwick with great ſlaughter, and ſhortly thereafter, Dunbar, Edinburgh and Stirling. In, and about theſe caſtles, he had killed and taken captives the greateſt part of the Scots noblemen; ſo that croſſing Forth, the blow being ſo ſudden, he found no preparation for reſiſtance, Baliol ſurrendered himſelf to king Edward at Montroſe, and was ſent by him into England, where he remained captive till ſuch time as by interceſſion of the Pope, he was ſet at liberty, ſwearing and giving hoſtages never to return to Scotland, King Edward came to Scoon, and took upon him the crown of Scotland, as forfeited by the rebellion of his homager Baliol. He ſent for the nobles of Scotland who remained, that they, with ſuch as were his captives, might ſwear homage to him as to their liege Lord and King, thoſe who refuſed, were detained priſoners.

King Edward, thinking that now all was ſure for him in Scotland, left John Plantagenet, (ſome call him Warren) earl of Surry, and Sir Hugh Creſſingham treaſurer, and returned to proſecute the French war, taking ſuch of the nobility of Scotland as he feared, along with him, with their followers. The great men of Scotland, being in this manner either impriſoned by king Edward, or ſworn to his obedience, and tied thereto by reaſon of the lands holden of the crown of England, the reſt either fled into the iſles or highlands, or thought it ſufficient to defend their own till better times.

But while men of power neglected the public cauſe of the liberty of Scotland, William Wallace, a youth of honourable birth, being ſon to Malcom Wallace of Elderſlie, but of mean power, having first in private killed many Engliſhmen of the garriſons as he could overtake them, by theſe exploits, being ſo encouraged, (being a man of invincible hardineſs, incredible ſtrength of body and withal very wiſe and circumſpect) that he gathered his friends and neighbours, and by jeopardies and ſtratagems, divers times cut off great numbers of the enemy; the report thereof